True Love's First Kiss
by koinekid
Summary: Kenshin stresses over what he considers a loss of control in kissing Kaoru. A lot of introspection. A spoiler or two, mostly for the Revenge arc.
1. Kenshin

A kiss.  
  
One moment of weakness.  
  
One moment given over to passion.  
  
One moment where his years of self-discipline amounted to nothing.  
  
It was odd. He always imagined their first kiss would be after some grandiose event. His mind wandered back to the books he read to fall asleep during the Bakumatsu. There was one, a book about the dark ages in the West, that he was especially fond of. He could not read the words, but the pictures of strange armored men fought large dragons and rescued beautiful ladies fueled his imagination. The few times he allowed himself to dream he'd dreamed there was a beautiful lady for him to rescue.  
  
He thought he'd found that beautiful lady in Tomoe. And for the briefest time he had. But he had been no knight in shining armor for his wife. Instead he was her dragon, cruelly snatching away her brave knight. And in turn, she had been snatched away from him.  
  
Then he had begun the slow transformation from dragon to knight. Ten years of penance. Ten years traveling as a dragon desperately trying to fit into a knight's armor.  
  
Then he had met her, an angel of mercy, part sweaty tomboy swords-master, part brave and reckless teenager, and part goddess.  
  
And he'd loved her – every part of her, even the sweaty tomboy. God, how he'd loved her. Not at first, of course. He never was one for love at first sight. But there was a definite attraction, an attraction which slowly turned into a deep and lasting love, at least on his part. He never knew if she felt the same way. In many ways, he hoped she hadn't. He was so unworthy. He would die for her in an instant. He would travel to the ends of the earth just to make her happy and to keep her safe. And in his mind, the best way for both was to stay near her but only as a friend. He was fooling himself of course. If that were really the case, he would leave Tokyo for good. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to whisper into her ear how much he loved her.  
  
He always imagined their first kiss would be after some grandiose event. But it wasn't. It was the early evening in spring. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The sun was setting, and they were alone. Walking back from the Akaebo, Kaoru had been especially quiet. She seemed truly at peace for the first time since her abduction by Enishi. So peaceful and so beautiful. Yahiko and Sano were walking ahead while he lagged behind with Kaoru.  
  
Her lips looked so inviting. Whether she noticed his gaze or not he couldn't tell, but the next moment, she licked her lips. That's when his self-discipline crumbled. He stopped suddenly and slipped his hand onto her shoulder. As she turned to meet his gaze, he leaned in and kissed her.  
  
There was nothing spectacular about the kiss per se. It was closed-mouthed and ended too quickly. Some would have even considered it prudish. But for Himura Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru for whom a simple hug or holding of hands would elicit deep emotional responses, it was as if their souls had met for one brief instant.  
  
Kenshin pulled back and gazed at Kaoru's expression. He almost expected shock or anger. God knows he deserved it for having dared touch such a flawless beauty with his unworthy lips. But there was no anger. There was some shock, of course. The abruptness of the kiss left the girl stunned. But soon, the shock wore off and a smile grew in its place.  
  
To Kenshin, it seemed to be a smile of acceptance of all his past mistakes, and perhaps, even of his future ones. Kaoru closed her eyes, pulled one of his arms around her shoulders and rested her head on his chest.  
  
Amid the chirping of the crickets and the chatter of their friends ahead, the couple walked home silently. No words were necessary.  
  
~THE END~ 


	2. Kaoru

A kiss.  
  
One moment taken by surprise.  
  
One moment given over to passion.  
  
One moment where her months of longing, of desire, were fulfilled.  
  
It was just how she pictured it. Not after some grandiose event. If it happened then, she would always wonder if it were his attempt to offer her comfort. She would always doubt whether he felt the same or was simply doing what he always did, making her feel better. She remembered her father suddenly. There was so much of her father in Kenshin. They both took great pains to protect the innocent. They both valued swordsmanship above their own lives. They both…God, she hoped this was true…they both shared a love for her.  
  
The realization dawned upon her that she was in love with a man just like her father. The image of her kissing her father's lips entered her mind and she almost became sick. Fortunately she was able to hold her dinner down. Thank God Kenshin wasn't kissing her too hard. She might have vomited on his hakama. Knowing the rurouni, he'd take that as a sign of her feelings and steadfastly refuse to even touch her again. That was a funny thought. Regurgitated sukiyaki could end her relationship. She had to stop herself from laughing.  
  
Her father's death had left a hole in her life. She refused to think about that. Instead she focused on the man who had filled that hole, the man whose lips were pressed gently against hers right now. She longed to place her hands on his chest, to clutch his hakama and pull him closer. But she dare not. She would do nothing to jeopardize the moment.  
  
It was a cool spring night when they were returning from the Akaebo. A few seconds ago she'd noticed him staring at her. She'd licked her lips, hoping against hope that he would do something, anything. Kenshin had stopped, placed his hand on her shoulder, and when she turned to meet his gaze, leaned in and kissed her.  
  
When he pulled away, she was shocked. She wasn't sure whether this shock was due to his abruptness or that he had actually kissed her. He looked so vulnerable, like a little puppy unsure if he'd be scratched behind the ears or be whacked by a newspaper. Kaoru realized with some chagrin that in her case it was an apt analogy. Since they'd met, she'd probably put more bumps and bruises on his head that Saitou and Aoshi combined. She couldn't help but smile, if only to re assure him of her kind intentions.  
  
Kaoru closed her eyes, pulled one of his strong arms around her and rested her head on his chest.  
  
Amid the chirping of the crickets and the chatter of their friends ahead, the couple walked home silently. No words were necessary.  
  
~THE END~ 


End file.
